Fresh from sweeping the former No. 1 St. Cloud State, the Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team will return home this weekend to host Western Michigan at NCHC play at Amsoil Arena. Pack drops are scheduled for Friday at 7:37 PM and Saturday at 6:07 PM.
UMD women who were wiped out in Minnesota a week ago are on the move this week. The Bulldogs will play Minnesota State in Mankato on Friday at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s media availability at the Amsoil Arena to praise the Bulldogs for beating reporter Matt Wellens.
“One weekend only”
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
Bulldogs junior defenseman Wyatt Kaiser said last week’s Husky sweep felt good and he enjoyed Sunday.
“Well next week. We’re focused on that,” Kaiser said. “It doesn’t matter what happened in the past.”
That’s the same message Scott Sandelin delivered as UMD prepared to face the Broncos on Wednesday. The Bulldogs coach doesn’t want the team to be complacent or complacent with one weekend’s success.
“It’s only the weekend, right? It’s only been one week and it’s been a great weekend for us with two wins,” Sandelin said. “You have to keep building the foundation. You have to keep pushing to get better.”
The Husky sweep saw the Bulldogs jump from 6th to 5th in the NCHC standings and within 6 points of the 4th place Broncos in the NCHC Quarterfinals home ice race. If the season ended today, UMD would compete in the Western in a best-of-three series. The Bulldogs secured his No. 4 spot with two wins this weekend and may be able to avoid a return trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Of the Broncos’ Lawson Ice Arena, Sandelin said, “It’s a tough building to beat. I’m glad we won’t be going back there now.” We are successful.”
Strength is greater than the system
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
When the Bulldogs and Broncos last met in mid-November, they split the series in Kalamazoo, with UMD winning 5-4 on Friday, which included six first-period goals.WMU won 5-3 on Saturday.
Asked this week where the team has grown the most since the snowy Michigan series in November, Kaiser said UMD has confidence in the team’s systems and decision-making process. is not the key to
“It doesn’t really matter what system you’re playing if you don’t have intensity and put out a lot of energy,” Kaiser said. “We were ready that weekend, but maybe not so much for some series. I think that there.”
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
With six games left in the regular season of the UMD women’s program, fifth-year senior goaltender Emma Soderbergh is closing in on UMD’s all-time shutout record by a goaltender with two shutouts and three in one season. Both records are currently held by Kayla Black, who shut out 10 times in 2014-15 and 20 times from 2012 to 2016.
“I try not to pay too much attention to it. Usually when I see it, it’s Twitter or something like that,” Soderberg said. “It’s exciting, but the end goal is still the national championship. That’s it. This is just a step towards that. It’s still fun, but I want the team to succeed.”
The Bulldogs as a team have completed nine shutouts this season, three short of the 2010-11 one-season program record of 12. Adding to Soderbergh’s 7 this year, freshman Haley MacLeod scored her first at UMD on Nov. 19 against Harvard. Soderberg and MacLeod also joined him on September 25th on Long Island.
Soderbergh said Wednesday that shutouts are more of a team stat than an individual.
“This shows that our team has a strong defense,” Soderbergh said of the nine shutouts the team has this year. “What you don’t see on the scoresheet is the 10 or 20 blocked shots in the game. It may have been the invisible puck, but the forwards and defense also help. Surely it’s a team issue.” I can.”
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